When it comes to fan favourites, few Canucks are as beloved as the late Gino Odjick. An enforcer on the ice, he was nicknamed the Algonquin Assassin and the Maniwaki Mauler. And his 2,127 penalty minutes remain a franchise record. But off the ice, Odjick is remembered as a gentle giant, a friend to all, and an inspiration to generations of Indigenous athletes.
Now, nearly three years after his death at the age of 52, comes Gino: The Fighting Spirit of Gino Odjick, a new biography by Patrick Johnston, a hockey writer with The Province newspaper, and Peter Leech, Odjick’s friend of more than 25 years.
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Gino is a look at the man in full: a complex character who didn’t always make the right choices, but whose loyalty to friends, family, and teammates was non-negotiable.
“We should try to live the way he lived, which is to listen to and to care about those around us, to not sit in judgment before figuring out who a person is. He treated people as he wanted to be treated, and the world was a better place because Gino Odjick was in it,” said Johnston.
Odjick was born on Sept. 7, 1970, on the Algonquin reserve of Kitigan Zibi, just outside of Maniwaki, Quebec, the same year the Canucks entered the National Hockey League. He first put on a Vancouver uniform in 1990 following a now-famous directive from then-general manager Pat Quinn to his scouting staff – “Get me a tough guy!”
“Odjick was in the NHL with a purpose: to use his fists,” writes Johnston. “This was an era of hockey that was dominated by the biggest and strongest pugilists.” And Odjick was as big and as strong as they came.
He wore the number 29 on his jersey for most of his career, a nod to his father Joe, as it was also his registration number at residential school.
Odjick arrived in Vancouver during a watershed time for the hockey club, bridging the eras between Stan Smyl, the Canucks captain who led the team to the 1982 Stanley Cup final, and Trevor Linden, who would lead the team during its 1994 cup run.
Odjick, writes Johnston, was “the first broadside” of a revolution, who was “at the vanguard” of a new Canucks team “that would thrill the NHL in the early to mid-1990s.”
While he is best remembered as a tough guy, he had skill as well. Johnston points out how Odjick scored a career-best 16 goals in the 1993-94 season – 14 of them before Christmas. But it was his fighting spirit that endeared him to fans and teammates alike. Odjick’s teammates remember him as a silent leader who didn’t say much but was the ultimate protector.
“He was a guy that was very proud of what he brought to the game, the role he played, the importance of his character for his teammates. He knew that role. He had realized quite early on in his hockey career that he could be that kind of extra guy that can help keep the mood going forward, even in the tough times,” Johnston said.
Of course, those 16 goals in 1993-94 were made possible because Odjick was on the same line as Canucks superstar Pavel Bure. He and the Russian Rocket shared an unlikely but special bond, both on and off the ice. In fact, Odjick would name one of his sons Bure in his honour.
He also set an example for the First Nations community, too – appearing at Indigenous hockey camps and workshops, stressing the point that if he could make it, others could too.
“Here’s this guy who would always say, ‘I’m just a kid from the rez.’ But he’s like, ‘Look where I got. I worked hard and I got there.’”
Johnston says many still cite Odjick as an influence.
“Ethan Bear and Micheal Ferland are two Canucks examples of young Indigenous players who spoke highly of what he meant. Wacey Rabbit, who played for the Vancouver Giants and is now an assistant coach there, talks about the importance of what he meant as a role model to them,” Johnston said.
Gino is not without its controversy. Johnston and Leech don’t shy away from some of the more complex parts of Odjick’s story – from his complicated personal life, fathering eight children from six different women, to his struggles with addiction and mental health issues.
At least one member of his family, his son Tobias, has publicly denounced the book. It’s a criticism Johnston takes in stride.
“We are not claiming it’s authorized, but certainly people close to Gino were very on board with this,” he said.
“You’re never going to get everybody lined up in the same way. But the support that I had from members of his family and from his friends was essential to this book and certainly not something we would have undertaken without them.”
If certain members of his family are sensitive about the book’s contents, it’s likely because Gino is unflinching in how it details the struggles of Odjick’s later life.
In 2014, he was diagnosed with AL amyloidosis, a rare chronic condition that deposits proteins on the heart muscle, affecting its ability to expand and contract – basically turning it into leather. By age 43, Odjick could barely get around without the aid of a wheelchair and needed an oxygen tank to breathe. Doctors would help him rally back from this state, buying him another nine years of life, but his health would never be the same.
One last battle would prove to be too much. Odjick died on Jan. 15, 2023. He was 52 years old.
“As I said in the book, his heart was perhaps too big,” said Johnston.
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Perhaps the last word on Odjick’s legacy should be left to former Canucks scout Ron Delorme.
“Gino showed young Indigenous hockey players they could be proud of who they were, that they could be themselves,” writes Johnston.
“He paved the way, but there’s still a way to go,” said Delorme.
Gino: The Fighting Spirit of Gino Odjick is published by Greystone Books.